Meetings Focus had the chance to explore the Orange County coast on two separate occasions this past summer. Here’s our top takeaways from this sunny slice of SoCal.
DANA POINT
An introductory visit to Dana Point packed plenty of elegance and exploration into a cozy three-day media FAM. Regal comfort was the hallmark of our host hotel, the enchanting Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, set along an eye-catching shoreline with sweeping views of the ocean. A personal highlight was our dinner at Raya restaurant, with colorful fare and bold flavors—including its popular Piloncillo Prawns and delicate little taco appetizers held together by what must be the world’s tiniest clothespins.
Site visits included a stop at the equally sophisticated Monarch Beach Resort, where an amazing dinner at Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern somehow exceeded the sky-high expectations, and a sunny lunch at the inviting Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa was held on a sprawling lawn with never-ending sea views.
Also fun was a visit to Dana Point’s charming harbor, where the Ocean Institute offers some cool venue spaces that include the deck of an old-time schooner. Another huge highlight of the FAM was an outing aboard Captain Dave’s Whale Watching & Dolphin Safari catamaran, where by climbing below deck and lying down in a sunken “viewing pod” we had the viewpoint and sensation of swimming along with hundreds of playful dolphins. A true once-in-a-lifetime experience, and this is reputedly the only vessel of its kind offering such a perspective.
NEWPORT BEACH
During our Meetings Focus Live! event for California, we enjoyed Newport Beach’s serene setting, cool venues and fantastic flavors.
Our host hotel, the Newport Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, was an ideal setting for a lawn reception built around a charming gazebo, and the fare was top-notch—including a unique “gin and tonic” salmon dish. As someone who always savors the fare at such events, it set a trend for three days of memorable dining.
Another gastronomical highlight was a lunch at the Radisson Newport Beach’s Pacific Ballroom, where a quadrant of four singular plates—organic salad, garlic steak, gulf prawns and asiago potatoes au gratin—was sublime. The Fairmont Newport Beach also hosted an amazing alfresco reception.
Two dinner extravaganzas stole the show, an outdoor affair at an enchanting courtyard in the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach and an indoor-outdoor event at the snazzy Island Hotel. The Hyatt proceedings featured an old-time TV dinner taken to new culinary heights, plus a vaudeville-style routine with a Hollywood twist and a photo-op appearance from a John Wayne lookalike. The Island Hotel, meanwhile, showcased sensational small plates cleverly matched to an eye-catching, floor-to-ceiling slide show. A wedge salad, for example, was served while Beach Boys music played and images displayed crashing waves at The Wedge, a local surfing hotspot.
Lest anyone think we sat around eating the entire time, other activities included a relaxing Duffy boat ride around the harbor—where sightings ranged from John Wayne’s old yacht, The Wild Goose, to sea lions—and a low-key stop at the Fashion Island retail center.
